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Tuesday, July 2, 2019

How to Get Rid of Unnamed Weed in Lawn


Q. My front and back lawn were taken over by what I call small, nettle-head weeds. Walking on them barefoot remind me of sand spurs that I saw in the South. I have been told it was Bermudagrass weed and chickweed but it doesn’t look like the pictures of chickweed I’ve seen.  Could you please identify them and tell me how to get rid of them?



Pictures of the weed sent to me.


A. I could not recognize the weed from the pictures you sent. Maybe one of the readers will recognize it. It has been cut back severely. This weed appears to have a long taproot like dandelion so it could be one of the local thistles like Bull or Desert thistle. Whatever it is, it has a strong central taproot. This tells me it grows for more than one growing season and is probably a very poor competitor for space in your lawn.

Mechanical Weed Control

            Not the easiest, perhaps, but the best way to rid the lawn of this weed is to cut through the central taproot with a sharp knife, or forked asparagus knife, just below the soil surface. Regrowth of this weed is from the “crown” located at the top of the taproot so cutting the taproot below this prevents it from regrowing and eventually kills it. After an irrigation, perform the coup d’état.

Cultural Weed Control

            Thistles of all sorts are difficult to control with weed killers. But nearly all weeds can be kept out of lawns by increasing the grass density. This is done by mowing high at two and a half to 3 inches, or the top setting of the mower, and fertilizing the lawn regularly. Fertilize lawns at least four times each year with a good quality lawn fertilizer. If the lawn is tall fescue, fertilize on Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving. High quality compost can be substituted and gives better results and needs applications less frequently.

Chemical Weed Control

Triclopyrere to guess on the herbicide chemistry that might work on this weed, I would guess something okay to use in lawns but has some woody broadleaf weed control in it. This would be a mixture but I would look for either triclopyr (Garlon) or Dicamba (Banvel) in its list of active ingredients.



2 comments:

  1. I use a spray made of baking soda,5%white vinegar and a little amount of Dawn. Use 1 and a half cups of baking soda to each gallon of white vinegar after the first 2 ingredients are incorporated add 1 half cup of Dawn. This is environment-friendly and safe for animals. Works great! Reapply if it isn't satisfactory the first time. Thank you for caring what we use in our environment
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  2. Some combination of baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and soap (detergent) has been quite popular for over two decades. Just keep in mind that these mixtures, when they work, kill the tops of plants and have no systemic properties so they dont go very deep in the plant. It is best to cut or mow weeds first to about one inch before spraying so their size does not prevent this contact killer from reaching as much of the weed as possible. It works best on annual weeds when they are young. Not terribly effective on perennial weeds like the one in the picture. These homemade formulations kill the tops without killing the taproot or roots of perennial weeds. When they are large and then sprayed then their size prevents the contact killing properties of these homemade herbicides from working very well. It is always best to spray in the spring or fall (preferred) months for better control. Spray before they flower if possible. Use these plant parts in compost piles or shred them and leave them in place to decompose. They can also be used as a surface mulch (if they are not flowering!).

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